Coin collection box



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Attorneys David Gold BY 1% (Mg;

5% ENME QPE n will wmwmwml D. GOLD COIN COLLECTION BOX Jan. 3, 1967 Filed May 24, 1965 Jan. 3, i967 D. GOLD 3,295,755

COIN COLLECTION Box Filed May 24, 1965 2 Sheets-$heet 2 INVENTOR. David Gold 4 United States Patent Office 3,295,755 Patented Jan. 3, 1967 3,295,755 (TOIN COLLECTION BOX David Gold, Burlingame, Califi, assignor to Parking Management, Inc., San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California Filed May 24, 1965, Ser. No. 458,026 2 Claims. (Cl. 2321) This invention relates to a coin collection box and particularly to such a box adapted for use in self-service parking lots.

Heretofore, it has been customary to utilize self-service coin receiving boxes which dispense a tag noticed as a parking permit. The patron is required to place the permit in the interior of his vehicle so that it can be seen from the outside. In checking for vehicles parked without permits, the attendant must pass by each vehicle in the lot and ascertain Whether there is a permit displayed therein. This is not only time consuming but often leads to difliculties with patrons who have not displayed their permits properly.

In general, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved coin collection box which overcomes the above menti-oned ditliculties.

It is another object of the invention to provide a coin collection box of the above character which is adapted to receive coin deposits and to maintain the deposits in an ordered array which will identify each deposit with a particular parking stall.

Another object of the invention is to provide a coin collection box of the above character which can be easily checked to determine whether all the patrons have made deposits without the need for inspecting the parked vehicles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a coin collection box of the above character which does not require a tag parking permit and thereby eliminates the need for patrons to display such a tag.

These and other objects and features. of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention and from the accompanying drawing of which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a coin collection box constructed according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is atop plan view of the coin collection box shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a rear elevational view of the coin collection box of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is an exploded isometric view of the coin collection box of FIGURE 1.

Referring to the figures, the collection box of the in vention includes an outer box or shell 11, an inner partitioning member 13 adapted to fit within the outer box 11, and a removable back cover 15 for securing the partitioning member with the box 11.

The outer shell or box 11 is constructed with sidewalls 17, a top wall 19, a bottom wall 21, and a front wall 23. The walls forming the box are joined to form an integral unit, which can be in one piece as by casting.

One portion of the front wall 23 is divided into an array of spaces 25 by a grid of ridges 27 running vertically and horizontally on the front face of the wall. The spaces 25 are designated, such as by alphameric notation, so as to correspond with designations of the stalls in the parking lot. At each space 25 there is provided a slot 29 for permitting coins to pass into the box. The other portion of the front wall designates a space within the box 11 for receiving envelopes and is so marked. An envelope slot 31 is formed in the top wall 19 for permitting such envelopes to be deposited within the box.

The interior of the box is subdivided by the partitioning member 13 into a plurality of cells 33 which are arranged in an array to correspond with the array of spaces 25 in the front wall of the box. The partitioning member 13 comprises a front wall 35, top wall 37, bottom, and side walls 39, and a plurality of interior walls 41 which divide the member into the cells 33. The walls 41 are dimensioned to lie behind the ridges 27 in the front wall of the box. The front wall 35 of the partitioning member is constructed with a plurality of slots 43 which are arranged to lie in registry with the slots 29 in the front wall of the box so that coins passed through the latter are deposited into the corresponding cell 33 within the partitioning member.

The partitioning member is closed with a removable back plate 45 constructed of a. transparent material such as clear plastic and interfitting with the back of the partitioning member by sliding in grooves 46 formed in the top and bottom walls of the member 13. The back plate 45 is provided with a tab 47 at one side thereof which is adapted to pass into a slot 49 in the sidewall of the partitioning member. The tab 47 has a hole 51 through which a padlock 53 may be passed to lockably retain the back plate 45 to the partitioning member 31. Alphameric indicia are printed on the back plate 45 (FIGURE 5) in reverse sequence to the alphameric indicia on the front wall of the box.

The partitioning member 31 is made narrower than the interior of the box so that when inserted therein there is a space 56 at its side to accommodate the lock 53 and any envelopes deposited through slot 31. A spacer 57 is mounted to the inner side of the bottom wall of the box for maintaining the partitioning member 13 in correct alignment with the box 11.

The back cover 15 of the box 11 is provided with rods 61 for locking the cover 15 to the box 11. Each of the rods 61 is supported intermediate its ends on a guide 63 mounted to the inside of the cover. Lockable post means 65 is mounted for rotation at the center of the cover. One end of each of the rods 61 is pivoted to the post 65 at points spaced from the posts axis so that rotation of the latter is converted into axial linear motion of the rods 61 toward or away from the center of the cover 15. The sidewalls of the box are provided with recesses 67 each of which is positioned and dimensioned to receive a locking rod when the same is moved radially outward by the turning of the post means 65. A handle 69 is attached to the cover so that it can easily be removed from or installed into the shell 11.

The operation of the coin collection box of the invention is as follows. Let it be assumed that all the members of the box are positioned together and that the attendant is about to check the deposits. A suitable key is provided to open the back wall of the box by turning the post means and decoupling the locking rods from the shell, after which the back cover can easily be removed. The attendant merely compares the occupied stalls in the parking lot with the deposits in the partitioning member which deposits he can easily view through the clear plastic back wall. If a stall is found occupied and no deposit lies in the corresponding cell for that stall, it is instantly evident by inspection of the respective cell at the collection box.

The partitioning member 13, together with its contents, can then be removed from the box and a replacement partitioning member inserted. Alternatively, the same partitioning member can be emptied and repositioned.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that my new coin collection box will save much time and efiort on the part of parking lot attendants and patrons. Attendants will be able to check deposits against parked vehicles easily and without inspecting each vehicle for tags; and

patrons will be able to use a variety of coinage (instead of the fixed set of coins required by push-slide devices heretofore known). Furthermore, the patron can park first and pay' on the way out, heretofore not possible, without going back to his vehicle to mount a parking permit.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many changes and different embodiments of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, although the description and drawings herein relate primarily to a construction in which both the outer box and the inner partitioning member have front walls, it is contemplated that the outer box could be provided with only a grid or only a shoulder to retain the partitioning member, the latter being opaque and designated by suitable alphameric notation. Accordingly, it should be understood that the disclosures and description herein are illustrative of the preferred embodiment and use of the invention and are not intended to be limited thereby.

I claim:

1. A collection box for receiving coins comprising an outer box having front, top, bottom and side walls, the front wall being divided into an array of vertically and horizontally extending alphamerically identified spaces by a grid network running vertically and horizontally on the front face of the wall, said front wall having a plurality of slots therethrough, one slot for each alphamerically identified space, a second inner box adapted to be removably disposed within the interior of said outer box, said second box having front, top, bottom and side walls and a plurality of interior walls therein ranged to provide coin receiving cells in registry with the spaces on the front wall of the outer box, the front wall of said inner box having a plurality of slots therethrough, one slot provided for each cell and so arranged that when the inner box is disposed within the outer box, the cells in the front walls of each respective box are in alignment so that a coin may be passed therethrough and into the cell within said inner box, the back wall of said inner box being adapted for movement between open and closed positions for permitting access to the interior of said inner box, and including means for locking said back wall to said inner box, and a back wall or cover adapted .to close the back of the outer box and including means for lockably securing the cover to the outer box.

2. A collection box as in claim 1 in which said back plate is constructed of a clear transparent material, and said back plate being provided with alphameric indicia thereon arranged in reverse sequence to that of the alphameric indicia on the front wall of the outer box so that coin receiving cells are identifiable and their interiors visible from the rear of the collection box when the cover is removed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 527,589 10/1894 Bristol 232-1 X 956,685 5/1910 Crary 232-4 1,790,131 1/1931 Ball 2324 2,543,751 3/1951 Atkinson 2321.4 3,016,185 1/1962 Osborne 23215 3,181,780 5/1965 Abbott 232-1 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Examiner. 

1. A COLLECTION BOX FOR RECEIVING COINS COMPRISING AN OUTER BOX HAVING FRONT, TOP, BOTTOM AND SIDE WALLS, THE FRONT WALL BEING DIVIDED INTO AN ARRAY OF VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING ALPHAMERICALLY IDENTIFIED SPACES BY A GRID NETWORK RUNNING VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY ON THE FRONT FACE OF THE WALL, SAID FRONT WALL HAVING A PLURALITY OF SLOTS THERETHROUGH, ONE SLOT FOR EACH ALPHAMERICALLY IDENTIFIED SPACE, A SECOND INNER BOX ADAPTED TO BE REMOVABLY DISPOSED WITHIN THE INTERIOR OF SAID OUTER BOX, SAID SECOND BOX HAVING FRONT, TOP, BOTTOM AND SIDE WALLS AND A PLURALITY OF INTERIOR WALLS THEREIN RANGED TO PROVIDE COIN RECEIVING CELLS IN REGISTRY WITH THE SPACES ON THE FRONT WALL OF THE OUTER BOX, THE FRONT WALL OF SAID INNER BOX HAVING A PLURALITY OF SLOTS THERETHROUGH, ONE SLOT PROVIDED FOR EACH CELL AND SO ARRANGED THAT WHEN THE INNER BOX IS DISPOSED WITHIN THE OUTER BOX, THE CELLS IN THE FRONT WALLS OF EACH RESPECTIVE BOX ARE IN ALIGNMENT SO THAT A COIN MAY BE PASSED THERETHROUGH AND INTO THE CELL WITHIN SAID INNER BOX, THE BACK WALL OF SAID INNER BOX BEING ADAPTED FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS FOR PERMITTING ACCESS TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID INNER BOX, AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR LOCKING SAID BACK WALL TO SAID INNER BOX, AND A BACK WALL OR COVER ADAPTED TO CLOSE THE BACK OF THE OUTER BOX AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR LOCKABLY SECURING THE COVER TO THE OUTER BOX. 